Join me, Jason Mowen, and six to eight guests on a multi-course feast for the senses through laid-back and lovely Malaysia, a melting pot of cultures – Indian, Chinese and Malay amongst others – just eight hours from Australia.

Together we’ll explore its heady mix of architecture, gastronomy and spirituality and experience the very best Malaysia has to offer, from exquisite boutique hotels to one of the most legendary tropical retreats on the planet. Each day will unfold at a relaxed pace – breakfast at the hotel, a cultural outing and either a long lunch or dinner at a fabulous restaurant – with plenty of downtime in between to shop, wander or just lay by the pool with a book. Think of it less as a tour and more like travelling with an old friend. 

11 nights

12-23 January and 11-22 March, 2024

AUD 12,500 single 9,900 double per person 

Day 1-4: Urban Explorer

The Lee Rubber Building was the tallest building in Kuala Lumpur when it was completed in 1931 and has just been made over as the city’s most sumptuous boutique hotel, Else. With this reimagined Art Deco beauty in Chinatown as our base, we’ll delve into the city’s delights, exploring mid-century mosques and otherworldly temples, the city’s most dazzling museum and the architectural remnants of Malaysia’s colonial past. Add cool and cinematic cafes to the mix, alongside sundowners at a rooftop bar to take in the dazzling Petronas Towers, Michelin-starred restaurants and KL’s coolest cocktail joints, rounding out the perfectly formed city break.

Day 5-8: Faded Grandeur

Next stop is the UNESCO World Heritage site, George Town, on the island of Penang. We’ll travel by ETS – Malaysia’s slick Electronic Train Service – weaving our way through forests of palm trees up the Malay Peninsula. After checking in to Seven Terraces, a row of 19th-century shophouses made over as a resplendent boutique hotel, we’ll wander George Town’s play of streets and laneways, exploring historic mansions and otherworldly clan and guild houses, many relating to the fascinating hybrid culture of the Peranakans. Crumbling and romantic, George Town is one of the great repositories of colonial-era architecture in Asia, made all the more lovely by Penang’s island pace and world-renowned food scene.

Day 9-11: Island Architecture

After lunch we’ll take a quick 30-minute flight to the lush island paradise of Langkawi, home to one of the world’s great expressions of tropical architecture: The Datai Langkawi. Perched between an ancient rainforest and the Andaman Sea, this masterpiece of Australian architect, Kerry Hill, celebrates its 30th anniversary this October, our base for the next three days. We’ll discuss the hotel – refurbished in 2019 by interior architect Didier Lefort, who worked alongside Hill on the original design – sample its various restaurants and explore the surrounding rainforest, with plenty of time in between for the beach, the pool and The Datai’s stellar spa.

The Itinerary will feature unique encounters that might include brunch with a renowned KL chef to sample the places he likes to eat on his day off; supper at the home of a Peranakan collector; a private walk through with a museum curator and other similarly spirited adventures.

The Pursuit Of Malaysia

11 nights 12-23 January 2024

AUD 12,500 single 9,900 double per person 

30% deposit with balance 60 days prior to departure